Happy Anniversary

Today is the two-year anniversary of our move to Arizona. Although I am not actively celebrating this day, I did think that it deserved a little moment of reflection. So, as I look out my window at the palms and ficus, I begin to realize the knowledge I have gained as an Arizonan. This place where someone can utter the phrase, "It's only 95 degrees today, it's not like it is really hot" in utter seriousness has taught me a lot. Such as...

Mud can actually fall from the sky. Okay, not from the actual clouds, but when a dust storm occurs and is immediately followed by a thunderstorm, you get mud. Mud on your windshield, mud on the windows of your house and mud on the bottom of your pool. You also might find your shutter two doors down, on the ground, covered with mud

Swimming pool water is not always cool. I laughed when the real estate agent told me our pool might get too warm to enjoy throughout the months of July and August. Honestly, pool water couldn't get over 90 degrees without a heater, right? Wrong. Thankfully, the majority of our pool is shaded so it doesn't get that warm, but many of our friends' pools do. They spend the day inside and swim at night.
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Forget the cacti, palm trees are the true danger. Have you ever tried to trim palm fronds? At the end of each one are layers of extremely sharp little spikes. I would refer to them as thorns, but that doesn't express the pain they can cause. Matthew's finger was actually stuck by one that went straight through his work glove and I have bled from the wounds inflicted by them too many times to count.
Ficus trees' leaves actually burn if touched by frost. In all honesty, I had never seen a real ficus before moving to Arizona. Sure, everyone has the artificial ones from Michael's, but it had never occurred to me that there were real ones somewhere. Anyway, a ficus tree must be protected during the few nights of frost that we experience. One can either cover them with plastic or run Christmas lights around the plant's trunk to provide enough warmth to protect it.
Casual is the new formal. It's true! We wear shorts to church, flip flops on Easter and an evite is as good as the kind that is sent through the mail.


The terms East-West and North-South are not just for reading maps. People here actually use these terms to give directions. Above all else, this difference has been the hardest for me to overcome. I can't tell you how many times someone has said, "You head west..." and I have answered back, "Ok, so does that mean I turn left or right?" It's good for maintaining my humility.
The desert smells incredible in the Spring. The very first time I visited Arizona,I remember asking the real estate agent about the delicious scent that I would catch as we walked from house to house. Since then I have learned that jasmine and citrus trees produce the most wonderful scents. I cannot adequately describe how incredible it is to be riding a bike throughout the neighborhood as your senses are completely delighted by the bright blue sky, the warm sunshine on your skin and the scent of jasmine or orange blossoms.


Rednecks are everywhere. Previously, I believed that the term "redneck" referred to someone who lived in the south. But, I have discovered that those traits associated with rednecks (Christmas lights left up all year, jacked-up trucks, overgrown and weed-infested lawns) are actually found in people everywhere. Gretchen Wilson would be just as comfortable living here as she is in lower Alabama.

I have also learned new lingo like playpool, crossroads and to use "the" before any freeway. But, most importantly I have learned that life is life no matter where I live and the most important part of it is the people with whom I am sharing it.